Willowhawk

History

Kithood [0-6 moons] >

    Willowkit was born to Driftwood, a proud Hailclan warrior who was going to follow in her own mother's pawsteps and cement a legacy of her own, even without a mate to help her. Willowkit and Maplekit were born in early new-leaf. Willowkit looks up to his mom quite a lot and is a little awe-struck by the rest of her family, even if they aren't as tight-knit a bunch as a few others in the nursery.
Willowkit was taught sign language early on, as well as the rules his mother held in such esteem. Willowkit listened dutifully, but he had his own questions about the world that these rules just didn't seem to satisfy completely. 

When he was still really small, something happened in the camp. There was a lot of fighting and screaming, and Willowkit heard later that one of the older kits had died. Willowkit couldn't really understand the event, what happened or why. But everyone was on edge for a while after that. Lots of vigils for cats Willowkit hadn't yet had the chance to meet, and lots of the adults trying to repair what was broken.
It was like some unwritten rule had been broken the way everything suddenly changed after that day. And it didn't ever go back to normal. Willowkit figured out that the world really was a dangerous place, but not even the nursery was a hundred percent safe.

The old leader retired, and his deputy became the new leader. She picked some tom named Moosecrash as her deputy. Willowkit asked what made him a better choice than anyone else in the clan. He didn't really receive an answer, at least not one that made sense to him.

As Willowkit grew, he became more an more eager to start exploring and learning things for himself. Why did he have to be confined to camp? Why couldn't he start training early? He didn't need to be thrown into battles, that'd be reckless and dangerous. But he could start learning how to hunt now, right? But he was only allowed to hunt the small bugs and lizards that made their way to camp.

One day Willowkit decided to climb a tree. It was training- a bit of practice so he could be a great warrior someday and be able to scale mountains. He was going to climb the tallest tree in camp and make it all the way to the top.
Willowkit made it pretty high up, and soon noticed a crowd gathering under him. It started with just Ospreykit wondering if he was okay, but then some apprentices, and warriors, and even his mom showed up looking up at him from below.
They told him to climb down right away- but one of the branches had broken, so Willowkit no longer had the foothold anymore. How was he supposed to do that?
An elder- the former clan leader Salmonflight started up the tree after him. Driftwood too- telling him to stay put and wait.
Willowkit did. But the wind didn't. It bent the tree and eventually, he just couldn't keep ahold anymore- Willowkit fell, hitting several branches on the way before he managed to catch himself again.
Driftwood and Salmonflight made it to him, and they brought him back down to the ground where the other cats were all waiting.
It was- humiliating. And terrifying. But Willowkit just wanted to hide his face and cry with embarrassment that something like that would happen in front of all of these cats. He wasn't stupid- he was a decent climber, and until the branch broke, he'd bee fine- and he hadn't even panicked, not until he lost his grip and started to fall.
But none of that changed the outcome. He'd put himself up there and made himself a fool in front of everyone. And he nearly died doing it.

He was going to keep his paws firmly on the ground for a while after that.

Apprenticeship [6-12 moons] >

Willowpaw was named an apprentice alongside his sister Maplepaw. It was a nice ceremony, and Willowpaw was definitely curious about the warrior he'd been assigned too. Wolfburr was a tom who tended to keep to himself, he seemed a bit strange from the outside, but maybe there was something beyond that?

Either way, Willowpaw was excited to finally see what the rest of Hailclan territory looked like and get a chance to really start learning all the things he wanted.

Not long after he became an apprentice, the camp was attacked again. Willowpaw hadn't been there during the fight, but he'd returned afterward from a patrol to discover what had happened. Many cats were injured, there weren't any deaths this time but- three of the clan's kits had been stolen.
Ospreykit was among them- Willowpaw couldn't help but worry for his former denmates. Willowpaw wanted to go after them right away, but Thicketstar said she wouldn't allow her clan to take impulsive actions. Not even for the sake of her own kits? Thicketstar had word sent to the other clans and wasn't abandoning her kits to the rogues, no far from it. But Willowpaw couldn't understand how she could hold off on acting like this. Sure, maybe it was smart to be cautious. But these were more hours, days, possibly moons that her kits were in the claws of some unknown and hostile group.

Eventually the clans took action to bring the kits home. It was far longer than it ever should have, but finally they were doing something. Or rather, the warriors were doing something. Willowpaw and the other apprentices were made to stay in camp during the rescue and other missions occurring at that time. A decision that frustrated him to no end- and he wasn't the only one either.

Still, he could breathe a sigh of relief when Ospreykit and the other two kidnapped kits were brought back safely.

Although they weren't the only ones brought back to camp.

Several warriors had been injured going on these secret missions. And a mysterious cat from the empire had been taken captive within the camp. Although it was weird they weren't allowed to do much to question them, instead having Bramblechirp tend to the cat's injuries and keep a close eye on them.

Willowpaw spent a lot of his time training, even without his mentor around. Personally he didn't really care too much for Wolfburr. The paranoid warrior was an odd fit for him, but he didn't complain. Made it easy sometimes to get his own way as he knew just how to push the tom to get the desired result.

No, instead of his mentor, Willowpaw often did training on his own or with the other apprentices. Flutterpaw was his favorite sparing partner, and when Ospreypaw finally became an apprentice too, Willowpaw was sure to invite him along as well.

With the empire still lurking in the background, they needed to be better. Cats were still being attacked randomly during patrols or outings- even Rainstone and Sootscorch had been found killed. It was brutal and unforgivable. Willowpaw couldn't understand why they hadn't pushed back yet- hadn't this gone on long enough? They needed to find out where those empire cats were staying and drive them back to wherever they'd come from.

It came as a slap in the face when Thicketstar let the prisoner just- go. She'd even assigned warriors to escort them to the rogue shroud to ensure they got there safely. No matter how Willowpaw considered it in his head, he couldn't make sense of Thicketstar's decision. "Oh, these cats have literally been murdering my clanmates. Better give this one food and shelter while they recover and then send them back home."
The time to try an de-escalate the conflict was before they killed his grandma and auncle. Who were they going to kill next? Who was Thicketstar going to allow to die for the sake of avoiding a war that was already being fought?

Towards the end of Willowpaw's apprenticeship, Flutterpaw asked to speak with Willowpaw alone for a bit. He didn't expect what happened next. Flutterpaw told him that she has feelings for him. The romantic part was heavily implied- it didn't take a lot for Willowpaw to realize what she was saying, but it still had him off-balance.
She had feelings for him. He repeated it multiple times in his mind to try and drive the point home.
And- What does he say about that? Flutterpaw was great- he loved training with her and spending time with her in general. But he didn't feel romantically about her.
Had he done something wrong? Had he led her to think they were growing closer so they could what- be mates someday? Willowpaw could already tell that was never going to happen.
For a while, he didn't know how to respond. He knew his answer but, he was still his friend. Or at least, he'd still wanted her to be his friend. Maybe after this that would be over.
In the end, after a long pause, his answer was short. "I don't feel the same." He didn't apologize, though her feelings might be hurt. He wasn't sorry, it was just the plain and simple truth of the matter. No matter how she felt, he couldn't see him ever returning her feelings in the way she seemed to want him to.
After that, he started to distance himself from Flutterpaw more.
He wasn't mean, still waved hello or acknowledged her when they were near each other. But he stopped seeking her out to train with. They started spending more time in places away from her. 

Whatever crush Flutterpaw had on him, he wasn't going to entertain. And besides- he had his dumb ol 'warrior assessment' coming up anyway. 

Bramblechirp named a new apprentice, some kid named Pearpaw. Willowpaw didn't pay it too much mind but noted how quickly the tom made his decision. At least someone was taking the future seriously. Hadn't another clan had their herbalist killed a while back? It might just be some rumor, but having more than one healer available was always a smart call.

Warriorhood [12 - present moons] >

Willowhawk's warrior ceremony really wasn't as big an affair as other cats made it out to be. Cats would tell him how proud they were, how much he'd grown, all these comments and praises for doing something that practically every cat did at twelve moons old.
Being a warrior wasn't much different from being an apprentice when you really looked at it. And yet, everyone made it such a big deal.
Being able to leave camp at any time was nice though. He really did like the new freedoms that came along with his new rank.

Life seemed to move at a slow pace for a time, cats would change ranks, move to new clans, whatever felt right to them. Willowhawk was still figuring out what felt right for him.
There was another incident: another empire rogue was found in the territory, and Willowhawk was glad to hear the cat had been killed. However, shortly after, cats began finding themselves ill. Kits, queens, elders, and cats of all ages suddenly fell deathly ill, and it took the clan's herbalists everything they had to save them.
It was quickly spread that the prey wasn't safe to eat, contaminated in some way. Poisoned.
What dishonorable fox-hearts risked the lives of kits by poisoning prey? Even more reason they needed to strike back against the empire less they allow them to continue making these attacks that lead to tragedy.

Ospreypaw's mentor became ill, and he was reassigned. Willowhawk still made the effort to help his friend with training, although he also recognized that Ospreypaw needed time to grieve when the cat who had been his mentor succumbed to the poison.
Flutterpaw passed her warrior assessment. Things were still rather awkward between the two of them, but he was happy for her when she was named Flutterfrost nonetheless.
He really hoped that whatever crush or whatever she had for him would just die. He missed his friend.

The next moon Ospreypaw failed his warrior assessment. He was now the only one of his littermates to not yet receive their warrior name. Willowhawk was almost embarrassed for his friend, though he knew the younger tom had been dealing with a lot.

A bunch of Cloudclan cats showed up in camp one day. Their pelts were battered with scrapes, a pregnant queen close to birth gasped and sobbed miserably, and a dead look in every cat's eyes that showed that they had just gone through something horrid.
The clan had been chased from their home and divided. Of course the empire was to blame, when was it not. The fact that this was allowed to happen filled Willowhawk with so much fury. Just what would it take for them to finally rid the territories of those rogues for good?

Ospreypaw was made a warrior and given the name Ospreydove being honored for their consideration for others. It seemed a rather weak reason to honor your own kit, and it being two birds mashed together was weird. But it did not sound terrible when put together. Willowhawk kind of thought it was funny how their earned names were kinda opposites.

Unfortunately, later that same day Flutterfrost would disappear. He tried to look for her but- there was nothing. No signs, no traces, no goodbye. Just- gone. He was frustrated, furious even that his former friend would just- vanish. And to leave things so- incomplete.

Some other cats would turn up dead, and others would disappear as the snow worsened. Another group of Clouclan cats found their way to their camp and be welcomed in. It was getting a bit crowded with the refugees, but what else were they to do? Throw them out to die and let the empire win?

Finally, the clans agreed to take action together. It was long overdue, and Willowhawk was more than ready to take action. Another moon, and he might have deserted and attempted to assassinate the empress himself. He was glad he wouldn't have to attempt such a risky maneuver, but stars, the clans sure, had taken their time on this.
Thicketstar instructed the warriors to all partner up, and Willowhawk was paired with a molly named Rosepatch during the attack. They were given a rather 'safer' route, not fighting on the front-lines but scouting and trying to keep their warriors from being discovered too quickly.
They found a small patrol of empire cats, and one attempted to slip away. While the others fought the General and the other two, Willowhawk chased after the third.
Unfortunately, the cat managed to escape from his eventually, but they had managed to create enough of a delay that by the time the cat was able to alert anyone, the attack was already well in motion.

The clans were able to chase the empire out of the territory and deep into the rogue shroud. He wanted them to keep pressing, to kill the empress and anyone who stood in their way. But cats were tired, injured, they needed to bury their dead and return to their camps. It had been a long battle, and they had won.

However, when Hailclan returned to their camp, they discovered a nasty surprise. The empire had managed to attack the camp yet again, killing several cats and attempting to steal from the herbalist den. 

Shortly after the battle, several cats, including Thicketstar, fell ill. Willowhawk wondered if poison had been used again, but that was one of the first things the herbalists ruled out. They didn't seem to have a diagnosis for this disease at all.
More and more cats fell ill and were brought to the herbalist den. It seemed rather pointless when the herbalists themselves seemed powerless to help their patients.
Thicketstar lost a life to the disease and stepped down from her position as clan leader.
Willowhawk was all too happy to see Moosecrash take the mantle. He could only hope that the tom would be a more proactive leader than Thicketstar had been.

His mom moved to the nursery, expecting a 2nd litter of kits. Willowhawk would soon have little siblings to look after, and he was honestly pretty excited about that. Despite everything, his family had always been a bright spot.
Not only this, but Maplemask and Flickerfoot became mates. He couldn't believe his sister had managed to find someone to like her, but good for her.

Moosestar picked Heatherdance as his deputy. Willowhawk wondered how that would go, Heatherdance was a good warrior sure, noble enough and clever. But fae's condition made things harder for him. Hunting, fighting, and leading patrols. Sure, Heatherdance could do all of that, but what about when he was made leader? Climbing onto high rock would certainly be difficult for him no? Willowhawk's biggest concern with Moosestar choosing Heatherdance wasn't the cat's disability but the fact that Heatherdance had not yet had his apprentice for a moon. Chipmunkpaw was still very new, and it was unproven that Heatherdance was a capable mentor, let alone a leader.

Wolfburr died of wasting disease. Willowhawk hadn't seen much of his former mentor since becoming a warrior, but he stood for the tom's vigil anyway. He stood out of respect rather than in mourning. He wouldn't particularly miss the warrior, but he was grateful for having known him.

Driftwood gave birth to five kits. Five- Willowhawk hadn't imagined he'd have such a large family someday. Although maybe he should have expected it, Driftwood was born in a litter of five herself.
His little siblings were named Birchkit, Ashenkit, Hawthornkit, Needlekit, and Dogwoodkit. They were so small... Willowhawk wondered if they'd give his mom as much trouble as he did as they grew.

During the night, a loud commotion occurred in the middle of camp. Willowhawk could hear the shouting from his nest, Heatherdance and Moosestar telling cats to back away and hide in their dens. His claws itched as he wanted to join whatever fight, but those growls didn't sound like any cat. It sounded like something much larger.
Something crashed through the roof of the den, and Willowhawk didn't have time to react before it cave in on top of him.

When Willowhawk next woke up, he had been brought to the herbalist's den. The chaos was over, the bears had left. Driftwood was in the den by his side sobbing- it was so unlike her to be bawling like this. Willowhawk learned that Squallshadow had died that night, alongside several other clanmates.

Willowhawk spent the next moon in the herbalist den. The scrapes he had gotten healed without much issue, but his bones needed time to mend properly after the impact. During his stay, Bramblechirp took on a new apprentice and Willowhawk had the displeasure of being one of the new kid's first practice dummies.